Linux Format now available on the iOS App Store!

Posted at 3:17pm on Wednesday October 12th 2011

Update: You can now download issue 149, Seed Your Own Cloud, for free through our app.

Love the UK's biggest-selling Linux magazine? Also have a secret soft-spot for shiny Apple gadgets? Well, Linux Format is now available on the iOS App Store, through both Newsstand and as a standalone application for older devices. You can download the most recent issue on its own, or take out a subscription. Click (or tap!) here to get the latest offer and carry info-packed LXF goodness on your tablet today.

Your comments

so no android then?

why not on any linux based solution than iOS? atleast you would get an android app or equivalent book store to deliver this.

i would give up my existing paper (and wasteful dvd) subscription if i could get this via something like the amazon cloud reader or even if you just gave the pdf directly as a download

goes again to show why people keep shunning linux based solutions in favour of other alternatives...... (if a linux magazine cant get onto linux flavoured devices...)

Android

XAnonymous Penguin (not verified) - October 12, 2011 @ 5:37pm

I'd wager it's because:

* iOS has 97% of the tablet market
* iOS users spend on average 16% more on media and apps than Android users

Makes ENORMOUSLY more sense to target iOS at this stage, seems to me. But I would like Android too of course

Err...

Anonymous Penguin - October 12, 2011 @ 5:38pm

As a Subscriber you can get the magazine as a PDF.

The only problem with the PDF is that is exactly the same as the magazine so it looks rubbish on my Iriver Story. Which is a shame because Id like to be able to read it on there, but I've tried and its Pants!.

Could we have a screen shot of what the magazine looks like on an Iphone or other smart phone? Just out of interest.

So before people get too

Andrew Bowden (not verified) - October 12, 2011 @ 8:44pm

So before people get too into conspiracy theories I note that PC Plus has also got an iOS app. And I suspect other magazines from Future Publishing either have one or will be getting one soon...

Re: PDFs

Some Guy (not verified) - October 12, 2011 @ 9:19pm

spaceyjase, why do you need to do all that, when subscribers can download full issues already (eg LXF147.complete.pdf)??

What?

petescan321 (not verified) - October 12, 2011 @ 10:15pm

I thought we hated I-pad's (and all mac products...), awesome though. DO IT FOR ANDROID (its linux)!

Android

EspadaV8 - October 13, 2011 @ 1:35am

You can also get LXF through the Zinio for Android.

It would be nice to have an app for Android, but at least it can still be bought.

P.S. I haven't tried Zinio before so I don't know how well it works.

No Zinio

sh2515 (not verified) - October 14, 2011 @ 4:24pm

you have to pay again for lxf on zinio. Would have been nice to see future publishing support the motives of the magazine they publish. Slightly disappointed but understandable.

Sub cancelled

A non e-mouse Penguin (not verified) - October 17, 2011 @ 1:16pm

Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky, but when a Linux mag decides to become available on Apple (and not Android)...

I've been thinking about this for a while, and it's annoyed me enough that I've cancelled my magazine sub.

Re: Sub cancelled

graham - October 17, 2011 @ 2:45pm

You can subscribe to Linux Format on Android through Zinio, and for a long time, physical magazine subscribers have been able to download every article and issue as unprotected PDFs from our subscribers' area.

I respect your reasoning and I'm sorry you've decided to cancel your subscription. But the truth is, as I'm sure you're aware, print publishing is under massive pressure. The industry is changing, and so are readers' buying habits. We have to be adaptable to survive. The decision to launch on Apple's newsstand is a company-wide policy, but I don't see the problem if that means more people hear about Linux, and in so doing, help us to continue.

Zinio

Austin Prior (not verified) - October 17, 2011 @ 10:55pm

As I see it, the only practical problem is that the Zinio/newsstand/iOS subscriptions are totally seperate from the physical subscription.

I'm about to start my Zinio subscription as I recently bought an android tablet and don't need a physical subscription anymore.

Fine for me but what about those who pay full whack (the digital subs are cheaper) for the postal subscription? They should also get a subscription to one or all of the digital services because (as has been mentioned above) PDFs are unwieldy on tablets and Zinio et al provide much smoother navigation.

Re: Zinio

graham - October 18, 2011 @ 10:27am

I totally agree re:physical subscribers getting access to other digital services, and this is something I'm going to try and make happen.

Archive Issues

David Fildes (not verified) - October 18, 2011 @ 10:18pm

I currently have a print subscription, and love being able to download the magazines to read at my leisure (even on my ipad if I'm in the mood), but one of my favourite things is that I can keep them indefinitely. I have seen on a couple of Newstand Apps that old issues will be automatically deleted after a predefined period, do you know if this will be the case for Linux Format? And can the issues be copied onto another device (to allow later upgrade to a later ipad, restoring a backup in the event of a fault, or simply to clear up space)?

Dave

Physical Subscribers - Access to other Digital Services

Charlie Price (not verified) - October 19, 2011 @ 8:40pm

Graham - plus one interested in this idea! As a subscriber to LXF in physical form, I'd really like access to the iPad version as part of my fee :-)

Re: Archive Issues

graham - October 20, 2011 @ 9:37am

Sorry for the delay, I've been looking for some clarification.

Copies of the magazine will not be deleted automatically after a predefined period. If you delete an issue, you should be able to download it again by clicking on the 'Buy' button within newsstand - you shouldn't be charged.

Similarly, an issue can be 'copied' to another device if you use the same iTunes account on both and either 'Buy' again or use 'Restore Purchases' (you shouldn't be charged, in the same way you're not charged for sharing apps across multiple devices). I also think, with iOS5, new issues should automatically synchronise across all devices if they use the same account, but I've not tried that yet.

None of this is particularly clear, but I'm sure as Apple updates the concept, things will get easier.

Digital subscription and access to PDF archives

As a digital subscriber, how do I access PDFs? I'm not sure what to use for a subscription number.

Thanks

Sorry for diging this out of the grave...

oryan_dunn (not verified) - May 10, 2012 @ 4:11pm

As Awf7do asked above, if I were to subscribe digitally, would I be allowed access to the PDF version? I'd like to have the zinio on my tablet, but then have the PDF version archived (since I wouldn't have my old physical issues any longer).

Regards

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